The KT Tunstall of Tiger Suit is tougher, louder, and more electronically endowed than the KT Tunstall of its poppy predecessor, 2007's Drastic Fantastic, and Eye to the Telescope three years before that. The first single, "Fade like a Shadow," is emblematic of the denser, rowdier sonics that permeate much of the record. A dance-floor trifle that never lets up, it utilizes Tunstall's wall of guitars (and glockenspiel) not so much for melodic purposes as to fortify the muscle flexing of the rhythm makers on hand. The circa '81 synth-pop ringer "Glamour Puss," with its cutesy whistling and handclappy beat, the arena-rocking "Madame Trudeaux," and the fuzzy, gritty opener "Uummannaq Song" (it's a town in Greenland) also crank up the decibels. What's lost in Tunstall's transition to rock goddess is the attention to detail that marked her previous songwriting. In her quest for catchy buzz lines, she's sacrificed clarity and craft. Although the occasional inspired lyrical hook pokes through, all too often the need to match the amped-up production leads to generic blah in the words department. And all that overkill obscures what might have been some of Tiger Suit's better moments. At least the arrangements are pro, and the less cluttered, least slick tracks are treasures. "(Still a) Weirdo" establishes a perfect balance between acoustic atmospherics and seductive electronic accent; "Lost" is orchestral grandeur personified.

The Soundtrack of Our Lives | Throw It To the Universe While many Britpop fans spent the late 90s onward hoping with that Oasis would pull something out of the cabinet that came close to Definitely Maybe or (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, they should've been expanding their sonic range farther west to Sweden, where the Soundtrack of Our Lives have been rolling out some of the genre's finest compositions.

Trans Am | What Day Is It Tonight? Trans Am Live, 1993 - 2008 Trans Am are distillers of guilty pleasures, mixing fat AOR riffs with sleazy electronic accents and a propulsive attitude typically reserved for arcade soundtracks. What Day Is It Tonight? covers the DC-area band’s 20-year history with high-quality, high-energy live cuts taken from their many tours.

Various Artists | Casual Victim Pile: Austin 2010 The notion that regional musical flavors exist independently in American cities is quickly becoming an archaic truism, seeing as how the world really is a stage these days, at least in the digital sense.

Avi Buffalo | Avi Buffalo Look, I get it: the last thing we need right now is yet another band who can be described as “sun-baked,” “reverb-soaked,” or even just “psychedelic.” But Avi Buffalo (I know! An animal name to boot!) are worth your attention for a few reasons.

The Birthday Massacre | Pins and Needles If you disregard the distorted guitars, the spooky sound effects, and the unapologetically gothtarded imagery, not much separates the Birthday Massacre from honest-to-gosh bumblegum pop.

The Big Hurt: Pete Wentz, celebrity-judge addict I was always amused by the Pete Wentz phenomenon: here was a vainglorious loudmouth who came up in the Chicago hardcore punk scene, scored some moderate hits with his nü-emo group Fall Out Boy, and then rocketed down the slope of artistic corruption with unprecedented glee.

NEW YORK DOLLS | DANCING BACKWARDS IN HIGH HEELS | March 17, 2011 The new New York Dolls have now been around longer - and released more albums (three) - than the old New York Dolls, and they're commemorating that new longevity by letting go of any compulsion they may have still harbored to honor their designation as "punk-rock progenitors."

BRYAN FERRY | OLYMPIA | October 19, 2010 From the Kate Moss cover pic to the A-list of guest stars to the reunion with original Roxy Music members Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera, and Andy Mackay, Olympia screams, "EVENT!"

OLD 97'S | THE GRAND THEATRE | October 12, 2010 When Old 97's are on — which they are most of the time on their eighth studio album — they're very, very on.